Receptacle



"Jur xe 20, 1944. D. w. MOLINSQ ET AL 2,351,867

RECEPTACLE Filed May 15, 1942 Pate-nted June 20, 1944 RECEPTACLE DesmondWalter Molins and Flix Frdric Ruau,

Deptford, London, England, assi ore to Molins Machine Company Limited,London, England Application May 15, 1942, Serial No. 443,176- In Great.Britain May 8, 1941 1 Claim. (cl- 220-1) This invention concernsimprovements in or relating to receptacles in or for use with collectingmechanism for cigarettes, filter wads and other rod-shaped articles.

It is known to fill hoppers of automatic cigarette packing machines fromreceptacles which are placed on the hopper and from which cigarettes areallowed to fall into the hopper by withdrawing a sliding bottom on thereceptacle. Such receptacles are provided with lugs or brackets or otherprojecting elements at their ends to fit on the hopper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide receptacles havingsuch end projecting elements, which can be used to replenish existingpacking machine hoppers and which can themselves be automaticallyfilled.

According to the present invention there is provided a receptacle havingend projecting elements, wherein the receptacle is so arranged a as topermit the tops of two such receptacles to be in engagement when suchreceptacles are similarly oriented and placed in end to end abuttingrelationship for the purpose of enabling the receptacles to be filledautomatically by collecting mechanism of the kind in which rod shapedarticles, e. g. cigarettes, are, during movement in a directiontransverse to their longitudinal axes, delivered into a receptacle,which latter is movable in a manner such that articles are deliveredfirst into one end of the receptacle and thereafter to successivepositions along the length of the receptacle as the leading end of thelatter becomes filled approximately to the desired extent, the articlesbeing directed into the receptacle by a downwardly inclined guide whichprojects into the receptacle. The purpose of enabling the receptacles tobe filled automatically by collecting mechanism of the kind mentionedabove is referred to hereinafter and in the claim as the purposespecified.

The upper portion of each end of the recep- Figure 2 is an end elevationof Figure 1.

' Figure 3 shows to a smallsscale an. outline of two receptacles forcigarettes, in end to end abutting relationship, the receptacles in thiscase being of a different pattern from that shown'in Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, a receptacle for thepurpose specified comprises two parallel side walls I comprising platesbetween which the cigarettes are held, the plates lying adjacent the endfaces of the cigarettes. Two slotted cross-bars 2 connecting the platesat the bottom support a slidable plate which is arranged to be withdrawnat will to allow the contents to fall out. This plate is shown in chainlines for clearness. It is provided with two stops 4 and -5 whichprevent accidental displacement of the plate, for example, duringtransport. The stop 5 is so dimensioned that when it is desired towithdraw the plate, the latter is lifted slightly by grasping it nearthe stop 4 and on pulling the plate the stop 5 can pass through the slotin the neighbouring cross-bar 2. At each end of the receptacle there isa wall 6 slotted at the upper portion but continued across the fullwidth of the receptacle at the lower end so as to permit the articleguide to extend within the receptacle. The end walls haveend-projections 1 which are adapted to act as locating devices 'When thereceptacle is placed on a hopper of a cigarette pack ing machine. Thewall 6 is formed by bending the ends of the side plates I.

The side walls increase in length towards their upper ends so that atthe top of the receptacle the slotted end wall at the left hand endoverhangs the end-projections so that when two such receptaclessimilarly oriented are in endwise abutment, the tops of the receptaclesare in engagement. In Figure 1 the receptacle has side walls having oneend vertical while the other end slopes outwardly. In Figure 3 both endsare sloped outwardly. The two receptacles shown in this view are in endto end abutting relationship and when the receptacles are beingfilled'by collecting mechanism (e. g. the mechanism described in thespecification of our co-pending application for United States LettersPatent Serial No. 443,175, filed concurrently herewith), the receptaclestravel in the direction of the arrow.

It will be perceived from Figure 2 of the drawing of the instantapplication that the medial slots in the end walls 6 of the receptacleare so spaced from each side wall as to leave flanges extending towardeach other, these flanges acting to retain the cigarettes or otherarticles in the receptacle when the articles are delivered in the mannerdisclosed in our co-pending application aforementioned.

The automatic speed regulation described in said applicationautomatically increases the speed of the receptacleswhen the filling ischanging from one receptacle to the next, since during the transitionstage the normal rate of feed of the cigarettes relative to the normalspeed of" the receptacle is too high.

The walls of the receptacle ,are. stiifened by straps 8 and cornerbracketslilr Receptacle supporting means, comprising handles l0, 4 0 areprovided for lifting and carrying the receptacles.

At the top of the side walls there are provided Walls below the topthereof, at least one end of guides II which register with'co operatingmemhers on the collecting mechanism and control the receptacleslaterally during their movement'on said mechanism. All the parts abovedescribed which naked on the walls 01' the receptacle are rivetedthereto." Some of these rivets are indicated but others are omitted forclearness.

Whilst the embodiments described above by Way of example concernreceptacles for cigarettes, the invention is applicable to receptacles mcollecting other rod-shaped articles such as rod-shaped filter wads,imitation cigarettes,

dummy cigarettes or the like.

the receptacle having the upper portion there f extended in an endwisedirection to abut an e d wall of the next succeeding receptacle at t etop thereof, leaving a gap therebetween at t e bottom to accommodatesaid supporting means, the upper portions of the end walls of thereceptacle having medial slots extending downwardly from the top thereofto at least half the 20 depth of the end walls, leaving lateral flangesextending inwardly from each side wall for retaining the articles withinthe receptacle while permitting the passage through the slots of articleguide means positioned to extend. into 28 the receptacle for directingthe flow of discharging articles into the same.

DESMOND WALTER MOLINS.

FELIX FREDERIC RUAU.

